The invention relates to the field of gas burners, and more specifically, is an accessory for use with such burners to distribute the flame over an enhanced surface area. The present invention was originated for use with the propane burners of the Navy's fire fighting trainers, but has application wherever it is desirable to spread the flames from a gas burner over a larger area such as a grating surface.
The flames from gas burners tend to columnate, which tendency reduces the effectiveness of the burners for some applications. For example, an increased flame area is needed if food is to be cooked uniformly on a large grill, whereas relatively narrow columns of flame will generate hot spots. Accordingly, low pressure gas grills that are used for cooking often employ burners that are metal conduits running laterally to distribute the fuel more evenly under the grill area, and having upward opening holes whereat the gas and air are ignited to form the flames for cooking. Therein, the solution to more evenly distribute the heat for cooking is to distribute the fuel and generate more sources of flame. But, in the application for which the invention originally was intended, the burners are high volume, high pressure systems. The flames from the burners are intended to simulate comparatively massive fires on-board ship. The flames often are expected to represent a fire that is engulfing substantial floor space and large pieces of equipment and machinery. The advantages of the present invention as the solution to distribute the flame are more highly valued where the manifold systems available to distribute the fuel for low pressure/low volume burners, are inappropriate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,298 to Giuseppe Simeoni for Hotplate-Type Gas Burner, is representative of a manifold-type, flame dispersive structures that, in addition, includes a hotplate platter having an underside that is sloped upward and away from the burner to further elongate the spread of the flame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,719 to Wallace W. Velie for Multi-Flame Fuel Burner For Liquid And Gaseous Fuels, is representative of the traditional method employed with a burner to spread its flame, wherein a cap is placed in the path of the flame forcing it to spread to the perimeter of the cap in order to proceed upward. Both types of structure fail to achieve a substantially uniform flame over an enhanced surface area, and are incompatible with the high pressure, high volume burners used in fire fighting trainers and other devices.
A purpose of the present invention is to satisfy a heretofore unfulfilled need for a means to engulf a large surface area with the flame from a high capacity burner. Further, a purpose is to provide a means to enhance the spread of a flame from a burner that is an alternative to previously available means.